The iconic Empire State Building scene in Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake has received a low accuracy score from primate expert Mireya Mayor, who says the sequence only gets a few things right about how real gorillas behave. The 2005 monster movie features the titular ape falling in love with Ann Darrow, a human woman on an expedition to his home of Skull Island. He is eventually brought back to the mainland, where he goes on a rampage through New York City, a staple of many King Kong movies.

Speaking with Insider for their series How Real Is It, Mayor gives King Kong‘s titular character a low accuracy score when comparing his behavior to that of real gorillas.

Starting at 0:35, the primatologist explains how Kong climbing the Empire State Building and the way he shows his anger is inaccurate compared to his real-world counterparts. However, she does give the movie credit for his protective nature toward Ann. Check out what Mayor had to say below:

Gorilla’s spend most of their time on the ground. I have observed them climbing trees, with a lot of skill and dexterity, but scaling the Empire State Building, especially an animal that size…not too probable.

There’s this iconic visual that you see in movies of gorillas beating on their chests. But it’s not really a form of aggression, if you will, it’s more of a warning.

And while they’re incredibly strong, and believe me, I get an adrenaline rush every time I’m charged, they’re not violent animals. The only time that I’ve ever really witnessed a gorilla be aggressive is when another male tries to hone in and take one of their females and really kind of destroy that family unit. Yes, these are really strong animals, but there’s also a very gentle and nurturing side to them that you don’t often see in the media.

King Kong is depicted as being 25 feet tall, which is nowhere near even what we know as the largest ape from the fossil record, which is Gigantopithecus. It’s estimated to be about 10 feet tall, and disappeared about 300,000 years ago, and is not even half the size of what King Kong is depicted to be. Because this is such an iconic film, and they do make an attempt to bring in gorilla qualities such as that protective and gentle nature that he shows Ann Darrow, I’m going to give it a 3 out of 10 just for that.

King Kong Wouldn’t Be The Same If It Was More Realistic

The premise of King Kong is already steeped in science fiction, not just because of his size and tenacity, but also because of where he comes from. In every story about the giant gorilla, Kong is from Skull Island, an uncharted territory where everything from dinosaurs to giant insects roam free. The titular ape is simply one of those creatures, whose connection to Ann makes him stand out as less of a monster than everything else living on the island. However, his fantastical origin explains why a realistic version of him wouldn’t work.

In Peter Jackson’s remake, one key reason why Ann doesn’t see King Kong as dangerous is because of his willingness to protect her from the many dangers on the island. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie shows the ape facing off against a pack of Vastatosaurus Rexes, killing them all in order to protect her from being eaten. This way of humanizing the titular character may not have worked as well if he was facing off against a more realistic danger. King Kong’s height is also important, as it makes him a spectacle to behold.

A more realistic version of King Kong wouldn’t work because, without his height, aggression, and connection to Ann, the story simply wouldn’t stand out as much as it does. However, Mayor’s insights into what is and is not accurate in Jackson’s version offers plenty of interesting information about how real gorillas operate. While such information can’t be applied to the movie, it does show how the giant ape stand out among both other fictional characters and his real-world counterparts.

Source: Insider/YouTube